1. Single-Board Leadership Structure
Proposal from Hamline Church United Methodist
Fall 2015
Committee on Lay Leadership and Nominations

2. Why are we here? To explore the single-board or simplified structure
Fruitful congregations have organizational structures that are flat and simple.
How do we make decisions, set directions, and allocate resources?
Who is in charge of our facilities, finances, people, and program in order to be fruitful in our shared mission and vision?

3. Our present structure…
Church Council (Ad Board)
Trustees
Staff Pastor Parish Relations
Finance
Lay Leadership (Nominations)
Committees/Teams—Worship, Missions, UMW, Spiritual Formation etc.

4. Church Council/Pastor (22+ members)
Mission and Ministry Teams
Worship
Dining Hall
Membership & Outreach
Spiritual Formation
Social Justice & Missions
Hamline Women/UMW
Ministry of Memory (History)
Bread Oven
Finance (10)
Trustees (10)
Staff Parish Relations Committee (9)
Committee on Lay Leadership and Nominations
Staff
Church Council is the primary administrative body All other teams report to Church Council Ownership and communication can be unclear and ineffective As the church has grown, competing demands have grown HCUM members are stretched to attend more meetings and read/respond to more s to stay up to speed
There’s a lack of consistency and synergy that has all too often spread people across committees and administrative teams ...the decisions and planning of the committees have tended to drift apart, creating tension.
We’ve struggled to stay on the same page and make aligned decisions in a timely fashion...

5. What can be unified… Church Council (Ad Board) Trustees
Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC)
Finance
Nominations and Leadership Development
Committees/Teams—Worship, Missions, UMW, Spiritual Formation etc.

6. What would that look like?
The new entity could be called the Church Council
There would officially still be the four committees, each with their own chair, but they would share a common membership (13-15 people) and meet at the same time.

7. Membership Membership: 13-15 people Council Chair/Lay Leader
Council Vice Chair/Lay Leader Elect
3 SPRC (one serving as Chair)
3 Trustees (one serving as Chair)
3 Finance (one serving as Chair)
Lay Member of Annual Conference
Secretary
At-Large Member
Sr. Pastor

8. Church Council details
3‐year terms of service, staggered classes of 4-5 members each
First class will include 4 members elected to 1‐year terms, 4 to 2‐year, and 4 to 3‐year
Elected by the Charge Conference, proposed by Nominations Committee

9. How’s it work?
Council chair and pastor set the agenda in consultation with the chairs of the other committees.
When the agenda is the purview of a certain committee, like SPRC, its chair opens the meeting, deals with the agenda and closes that part of the meeting.
Committees can have task groups under them. For example the Trustees, could have a building & grounds team. Finance, could have stewardship and audit.

10. Church Council Nominations Pastor Staff Ministry Team
The structure must clearly answer the questions
What is the mission?
What is the method?
Who manages?
Who does the ministry?

11. What its role would be… Purpose is to Govern
Carry out the duties of the unified committees
Focus of the Church Council is on governance
It wouldn’t be…
Managing ministries
Supervising staff
Hearing ministry reports
Micro managing
Purpose is to Govern
Accountable to the Mission
Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Establish the Vision (in concert with Pastoral Leader)
How are we fulfilling the mission in our place and time?
Establish the Boundaries
Policies for ministry
Finance policies and budget
Standards of practice and behavior (what is not allowed?)
Delegation of Authorities
Who has authority to decide what?

12. How do the parts of the church relate in the new structure?
Hamline Church:
Mission & Core Values
Congregation (mission & ministry)
Church Council
Pastor
Staff
Church Council supports and holds accountable the Pastor  Pastor leads the church, directly supports and holds accountable the staff Staff manages administration, and equips and guides the congregation in ministry The congregation does ministry, and supports and holds accountable the Church Council
Everything centers around the core values and mission of the church, and everyone is accountable to them

13. ACCOUNTABILITY LEADERSHIP
Members = Role is ministering
Staff (paid & unpaid) = Role is managing
Pastor = Role is leading
Church Council = Role is governance

14. All games have rules or boundaries

15. Ministering within the boundaries
Mission, Vision, and Values
Budget
Goals
Policies and Procedures

16. Governance includes…
Focusing the church on its mission, vision, and values
--Making sure all ministries, staff, building utilization, budget, and calendar are aligned to the above
Setting needed policies & procedures
Setting the budget and providing financial oversight
Setting strategic goals
Holding the pastor accountable to the management of the above

17. Communication is Key
Annual All Church Meeting: State of the church, goals, officer elections
Occasional “town hall” meetings or other “listening” processes to obtain insight and input from the congregational
Minutes and agenda are published

18. Pastor’s responsibility
Supervising those managing the ministries (paid and unpaid servants)
Monitoring the setting and achievement of goals
Making sure goals align with the mission, vision, & values
Making sure ministry respects their budgets, policies and procedures

19. Pastor makes sure…
Each ministry understands and embraces its part in the overall mission of the church
Ministries are not necessarily competing with or limiting one another
Gaps in ministry are addressed
Mutual support and synergy are built between all the ministries of the congregation
Communicates the vision and direction
The pastor leads a Mission & Ministry Core Team, made up of ministry representatives, to accomplish this.
Discern and articulate the mission and vision of the congregation in all settings.
Provide alignment (through the staff) to the mission and vision.
Accept responsibility and exercise authority in keeping the congregation focused on fruitfulness in the goals established by the Church Council.
Assure that the ministries of the church are carried out according to the boundaries and values established by the Church Council.

20. Managers—Paid & Unpaid Staff
Oversee those doing the ministry—recruit, train, and reward them
Report to the pastor
Monitor their budgets
Set and implement goals that are aligned with the mission, vision, and values
Share the stories of their ministry’s results; makes sure communication is flowing between the church & ministry

21. Members = Freed for Ministry
Members are disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world
Purpose of members is to do ministry.
Every member fulfills the vows: Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service, Witness
Ministries of members may be within or outside of “church” work!
Ministry Teams
Bread Oven, Ministry of Memory, Reconciling Ministries, Social Justice & Outreach, Member Care, Membership and Outreach, Dining Hall, Loaves and Fishes, Hamline Women/UMW, etc.

22. What’s attractive about this?
Frees people to be in ministry instead of sitting on committees
Empowers people for ministry instead of micromanaging them
Helps the church to focus vision, mission and values
It expedites/streamlines decision making

23. Ministry/Mission Teams
There may be as many ministry teams as there are ministries. A ministry may be a regular, ongoing program (such as a weekly worship service or the youth group), an annual event (like the Dining Hall or family retreat), or even a single major event (a one-time mission trip).
Every ministry will have a ministry team. Ministry teams may be any size, depending on the demands of the ministry they are carrying out and each ministry team will have a ministry team leader.
Staff members support and resource the work of ministry teams.

24. Ministry Core Team
A Ministry Core Team consisting of ministry team leaders (or their chosen representative) will convene two - four times per year to coordinate ministry (scheduling, building use, communications, ensure ministries are not unnecessarily competing with or limiting one another) so that ministry teams are mutually supportive and well aligned with the mission of the congregation as a whole.

25. Is it Disciplinary?
The Discipline first allowed such a structure in 1996
This way of structuring your church has been vetted by annual conferences across the US
A decision to go to a new structure will require Charge/Church Conference action, our District Supt will preside at a Church Conference on Wednesday, Nov 4th 7pm

26. Timeline Town Hall (October 18 2015)
Perfection (October/November 2015): Congregational leadership may amend the proposed structure to address concerns if that seems advisable. Another town hall meeting may be held if necessary. Sign off from District Superintendent.
All-Church Conference (Wednesday, November 4 7pm): Following approval of the proposed structure by the District Superintendent, the District Superintendent will call an All-Church Conference to consider the adoption of the new structure. No amendments will be allowed at this meeting. The congregation may debate the proposal, but it must vote up or down on the proposal as presented by church leadership. Pending outcome of the vote, an additional vote will be taken to elect the leadership slate for 2016 at the Annual Church Conference on Tuesday, November 17th.
Implementation (January 1, 2016): The new model is in place and the newly elected leadership team begins their terms.